The thing that strikes you about Justis right away is actually not one thing at all – it’s everything. He was quiet at first, and bundled up in a bulky winter coat, so I thought perhaps he wasn’t interested in having his picture taken. But within minutes of talking to him, he was clearly 100% aware of how he was bringing his own fresh perspective to our shoot.
Don’t dare mistake that oversized coat and baseball cap as an avoidance of making style decisions – that’s the look. And don’t dare think he’s trying to hide behind those glasses – because his eyes do plenty of shining from behind those frames, and his glasses are what his face looks like, as he so politely informed me. I knew pretty immediately that our backdrop outside the old Sorg Opera building in Middletown was the perfect place for all of these variables to merge into great photos. Then, as soon as I thought I’d figured him out, he dropped the jacket and cap and loosened into this whole other vibe that was both sweet and salty, willing to make each shot his own with a sideways smile or toothy grin.
He navigated the camera with perfect ease, and later told me that he’s actually been in the habit of helping his photographer friends who work for the school yearbook. Not surprisingly, Justis is also a super talented artist himself (I saw some of his paintings and basically fell over) and apparently wants to pursue firefighting after high school (you know, because why not?)… and off to the side of that, he’s also a gifted musician as well. So take a long look at the photos below – because this is a portrait of a modern Renaissance man!
Side note: a few years ago, I also photographed older brother Casey, whose shoot is also one of my favorite senior sessions ever. Needless to say, it was a completely different experience. Kudos to mom and dad here, who have raised two polite, gracious, independent young men who are nothing alike and yet both undeniably great. I told mom after my session with Justis that I wish she had more kids so I could keep taking their pictures… 🙂
One thought on “Renaissance Man”
Very cool photos and a very cool dude! Great presence and killer smile! (why did the second appearance of the photos have your “e” logo on all but one shot? When I first looked at them, it wasn’t there on any!)